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February 14, 2007

Your Million-Dollar Idea - Are You Ready For It?

Regardless of what you think about McDonalds, whether or not you'd ever set foot in one or if you all too frequently give in to those Big Mac attacks, there is something that we can learn from Ray Kroc's little franchise. When he first looked at the McDonald's restaurant in California, Ray saw something that the McDonald brothers hadn't seen. He saw a way to create an empire the eventually led to great success.

I have often heard it said that everyone gets three or four million-dollar ideas in a year. The problem is that most of us never take action on those ideas. But for the ones who are ready, for those who are willing to take some chances, those ideas can lead to the creation of fortunes and opportunities the bring great blessings to everyone around them.

When it comes to wealth the biblical truth is that you cannot become wealthy without also enriching the lives of those around you. The more you create, the more money and riches are available for everyone else to enjoy. The idea that there is a limited supply of money is based in the false doctrines of scarcity and limited resources.

And while there are some resources, like oil, that are limited, the fact is that there is no limit to the way we can create energy. Because, after all, what is oil? It's simply a way to create energy to run engines that move our vehicles and "fuel" our economy. But it's not the only source of energy that is available to us. So while some things may have a limited supply, there is a whole host of other things that we can use.

So what about your million dollar idea? How can you get ready for it? What do you have to do to change your beliefs from seeing only limited possibilities to seeing the abundance that God has provided for us?

For the answers, let's take a look at what has become an American icon: McDonalds.

The original restaurants were started by a couple of brothers who had moved to California to find fame and fortune. When things didn't pan out for them, they decided to open a hamburger stand. The one thing that they had going in their favor was that they figured out how to create an assembly line for putting the burgers together. They sold them inexpensively and soon had people standing in long lines.

Because they were serving so many people they needed to have more milk-shake machines. This is where Ray Kroc, who sold the machines, entered the picture. He got curious when the brothers ordered eight of the machines, each of which could mix five shakes at once. He just had to know why they needed to make so many shakes at one time, so he headed from his home in Chicago to San Bernardino to see for himself.

Now I don't know what you picture in your mind when you think about an entrepreneur, but it's possible that Ray would not be the kind of person you'd imagine. He later described himself at the time when he said, "I was 52 years old. I had diabetes and incipient arthritis. I had lost my gall bladder and most of my thyroid gland in earlier campaigns, but I was convinced that the best was ahead of me."

Do You Believe It's Possible?

One of the lessons we learn from this is that we need to believe in the possibilities that are around us. In Mark 5:25-34 we read about the woman who had suffered from bleeding for twelve years. The story says, "She had suffered a great deal under the care of many doctors and had spent all she had, yet instead of getting better she grew worse." (Mark 5:26)

It would have been easy for her to give up and resign herself to the idea of spending the rest of her life suffering. But "with God all things are possible." (Matthew 19:26) We are not limited by what we see around us, and we certainly aren't limited by what we've been able to accomplish up to this point in our lives.

Ray Kroc could have assumed that the best was behind him. In most people's eyes he was probably someone who was over the hill, and rather than having the best still ahead of him, we would most likely have assumed that there wasn't much in front of him except a modest retirement and old age.

Perhaps the problem that you're facing when it comes to your million-dollar idea is that you think you're too old, don't have the skills, or lack the opportunities. But these things aren't real limitations. You may be too old to win the Boston Marathon, but it doesn't mean that you can't train for it and be the best in your age group.

Have you ever heard the old saying: "You can't teach an old dog new tricks?" That statement just plain isn't true. For one, it is possible to teach old dogs new tricks. Dogs aren't all that attached to the past, and since they live in the moment it's possible for them to make radical changes in very short time spans. The only prerequisite is that we have to let go of the wrong idea that they can't change. Once we believe that they can learn new things, and take the time to consistently train them, we'll find that you can teach them new tricks.

But all of that has nothing to do with people. You and I are not dogs. So even if it was true for dogs, which it isn't, it has little to do with us. But just like dealing with our dogs, we have to see that there are possibilities for us. We have to believe that nothing is impossible for God and that no matter how old we are, how many opportunities have been lost, there is always hope.

Once we start to believe in the possibility, the chance that things can be different and that we can turn our lives around, we open our minds and our eyes to see the opportunities around us. And that's when we need to know if we're ready for them.

Finding Your Acres of Diamonds

Russell Conwell, the founder of Temple University, became famous for his speech entitled: Acres of Diamonds. The story is about a man who owned a large farm, but sold it to go off in search of diamonds so that he could become immensely wealthy. But as he searched everywhere, he eventually wasted all his money and eventually was clothed in rags. One day this now poor, afflicted, and suffering man couldn't stand it any longer, so he threw himself into the sea and drowned.

But the story goes on to tell us that the man who bought the farm stopped by a stream one day to give his camel some water. He looked down and noticed an odd looking rock that had a flash of light in it that reflected all the colors of the rainbow. He put the stone on the mantel of his fireplace and didn't think much about it, until one day when a visiting priest saw it. He told the new owner that this was a diamond. As it turned out, this farm became one of the richest diamond mines ever discovered.

The point of the story, and many others that Conwell shares in the book entitled "Acres of Diamonds" is that we all, like the farmer, are sitting on our own fortunes. The only thing we need is the imagination, the vision, to see what is right before us.

Proverbs tells us that wisdom is, "On the heights along the way, where the paths meet, she takes her stand; beside the gates leading into the city, at the entrances..." (Proverbs 8:2-3) In other words wisdom is all around us, everywhere we go we can find it. And not only is it there but she is crying out to us to listen to her, learn from her, and to: "Choose my instruction instead of silver, knowledge rather than choice gold, for wisdom is more precious than rubies, and nothing you desire can compare with her." (Proverbs 8:10-11)

In James 1:5 we read, "If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him." The answers we need, the knowledge, skills, and understanding that can bring us a fortune, quite literally everything we could want, is available to us. But we need to start looking for them, because we will only find what we seek.

Proverbs also tells us, "A discerning man keeps wisdom in view, but a fool's eyes wander to the ends of the earth." Like the story about the acres of diamonds, we need to be careful not to be looking to the far reaches of the earth to find what we need; instead we should look in our own backyards.

For example, Ray Kroc had worked in the restaurant business for more then thirty years. It's even said that his father had taken him to a phrenologist when he was very young, and that the man had determined, by the shapes and contours of Ray's head, that he should work in the food-service industry. Whatever the reason, the fact was that he had spent many years observing how people were running their businesses, he had seen the problems that franchisees were having, and he had spent time thinking about ways to solve them. So when he looked at the McDonald's hamburger stand he was able to see what was right in front of him.

Too often we think that we have to go to great lengths, do something completely out of our current field, in order to finally strike it rich. Rather than opening our eyes to see the great opportunities that are available right in front of us, things that we have been learning and working at for years, we start searching high and low for something else.

Before looking to the ends of the earth, take time to ask God for the wisdom to see what is right in front of you. There may be a great opportunity sitting right at your doorstep, or in your own backyard, that could be all you need to create an incredible life.

Open Your Eyes to Possibilities

The McDonald brothers were only interested in being able to make a six-figure income. They were sitting on a gold mine and didn't see it simply because they had limited their thinking to being comfortable rather than being all they could be.

Now we have to be careful when we say things like, God wants everyone to be rich. The fact is that some people are perfectly happy with a job that allows them to make enough money to do the things they enjoy. It's like the old story about the American who was in Mexico and started talking with a local fisherman. The fisherman didn't have much money, and the American told him that if he would put forth some more effort, get some other people to work for him, and send his fish to larger markets, he could make a fortune. The fisherman, not sure why he would want to spend so much time and effort to build this big business asked, "What would I do with all of this money?" The American answered, "Why, then you would have the time and money to do whatever you want." To which the fisherman answered, "But Senor, that is what I am already doing."

You may not have a dream of becoming wealthy and that's fine. But you may also be at a point in your life where you are struggling to make ends meet. When asking God for wisdom, you are asking Him to help you find the ideas that can help you create financial freedom. Ask Him for the ability to pay off your debts and have enough money to meet all your needs with extra cash to help others. And to be able to do all of that and still have the time to do the other things you love to do.

But for those that want more than that, another important step is to begin to believe that abundance and blessings are all around you. Just like wisdom is everywhere, so is opportunity.

Someone once said that opportunity doesn't knock, it just stands by waiting to be discovered. When some people experience bad service at a store or restaurant, they just complain about it and decide to go somewhere else. But other people will see the problem and recognize that this is an opportunity to do something better.

When Ray Kroc saw what was happening that fateful day, he went back to his hotel and his mind filled with the image of McDonalds all over the country. When the brothers only saw a means of creating a decent life, Ray saw the chance of a lifetime. He knew the industry, he understood the problems, and he even had ideas for how to do it better. He saw the possibility, the potential, and he went to work to sell the two brothers on his idea. And the rest, as they say, is history.

The latter part of Proverbs 13:12 says, "A longing fulfilled is a tree of life." In order to open our eyes to the abundance that is around us, we need to have a desire to see it. Harv Eker says that most people never become wealthy simply because they never decide to do it. For whatever reason they just don't have the desire. And like the Mexican fisherman, that may be because they are content with what they have.

But for those that aren't content the reason may be a little more complicated. Perhaps you've been taught that it's wrong to want to have wealth, or that rich people are evil and you don't want to be a bad person. The truth is that God has given each of us the ability and the opportunity to create as much wealth as we want. The parable of the talents in Matthew 25 teaches us that He gives His servants the means and the marketplace so that we can multiply what we've received.

In Luke 16 Jesus says that our faithfulness with money will determine the degree to which we get to enjoy the true riches, the things that money can't buy. And in looking at Matthew 25 we see that being faithful with money means using it and multiplying it. God wants to bring wealth and blessings into the world, and He does that by giving us what we need, usually in the form of wisdom, to create them. And when we create them, we bring blessings to those around us and to the world.

If you have a desire for more in your life, especially when it comes to finances, that's a good thing. The fact that human beings want more is what makes us unique in God's creation. If we didn't want more, we would be living in caves and eating raw meat, rather than going through the drive-thru to get a burger and some fries.

Seek God for the wisdom and ask Him to open your eyes to the possibilities that are around you. Then expect Him to bring about the circumstances, to put you in the right place, to see what could become your acres of diamonds.

Have The Faith and Courage to Act

When Ray Kroc saw the opportunity, could imagine the possibilities, he then went about to make it happen. He talked with the brothers, came up with an agreement, and went to work to make it a reality.

When God presents us with our million-dollar idea we have to make a choice. The decision to take action and do something, rather than just wish and dream, will require a lot of faith. First we will need the faith to trust that God is directing our steps. Proverbs 16:9 says, "In his heart a man plans his course, but the LORD determines his steps."

We start with the dream, the desire to have more in our lives. God shows us a way to begin to create what we want, but then we have to trust Him. The first step will be to trust that we haven't just cooked up some crazy scheme in our heads. We will need to know that this is the answer we've been looking for and that God is opening the doors for us.

What that doesn't mean is that we will have smooth sailing from then on. Not too long after Ray Kroc started selling franchises, they began to run into cash flow problems. It seems that the deal he made with the franchisees didn't bring in a lot of money. Plus he had to deal with competition as other fast food restaurants began opening up around the country.

He was able to find a solution the money problem by leasing land for the new franchises, and he started a national advertising campaign that helped increase business for all the McDonalds. Just like any venture or business that we may start, there will be ongoing problems. We won't need wisdom and faith to get started, but we will need to continue to innovate and solve problems in order to guarantee our success.

The courage that we need is the day-to-day faith that will help us keep going in spite of setbacks and disappointments. When it looked like McDonalds was going to fail and become a flash in the pan, the right idea came along that allowed them to insure their future. And it can be too easy for us to face struggles and begin to question if we've really heard God's voice.

Part of the problem can stem from the wrong idea that being in God's will means always having things magically fall into place for us. It's not that God doesn't prepare the way before us, and it's not that we won't see miraculous things happen; it's just that Jesus told us that we would always have tribulation in this world.

The original cause of the problem goes all the way back to the Garden of Eden when Adam and Eve sinned. God cursed the ground and told Adam that he would have painful toil and that thorns and thistles would grow instead of the plentiful harvest he was used to in the garden. The path to abundance was no longer as easy as it had been. And we all experience that today.

It's not that we have to look at it as hard, difficult, and frustrating work. Christ came so that we could have life and abundance (John 10:10). But there are problems and the greatest strength of any business, and that we need to find in God, is the courage to overcome the problems rather than run from them. When we trust Him and don't give up, look to Him and seek His wisdom, we'll find the solutions we need.

Your Fortune May Be Closer Than You Think

Your fortune may be just one million dollar idea away. When you believe that it's possible for you, you start looking around at what is right in front of you, you allow your desire for more to intensify, and you have the faith and courage to take action.

Because we have the wisdom of God available to us, and He has given us the talents we need, it's just a matter of us trusting Him and taking some risks. The one thing that is guaranteed is that our lives will never change and get any better unless we are willing to start doing something different. We have to want to get out of our comfort zones and stretch our faith, our skills, and ourselves beyond anything we've done before in our lives.

When I read the parable of the talents I'm struck by the fact that the only person who failed was the servant who did nothing with his talent. As much as I may not like to draw conclusions from things that the Bible doesn't say, in this case I do find it fascinating that Jesus never talked about what would have happened if the servant had used and lost his talent. The parable says that the two who did use their talents both succeeded. The only one who failed was the one who allowed his fear of failure to stop him

Was Jesus telling us that our success is guaranteed? In some ways I think that He was saying that the only way to fail is to not take action. We are sure to lose if we let our fears control our lives and if we never take some risks. The servant with the one talent lost it to the servant who had proven himself faithful with the most talents. God will continue to bless those who are the most faithful with what they've been given.

Our future and our fortunes are available to us anytime we are willing to have the faith to use what we already have. Ask yourself today what you want in life. Do you want more? Then God will gladly give you all you need. That million-dollar idea is just waiting for you to be ready for it.